Shigeru Miyamoto

Shigeru Miyamoto (Japanese: ???, Miyamoto Shigeru, born November 16, 1953) is the Japanese creator of the Donkey Kong, Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Pikmin video game series for Nintendo. He is one of the world's most celebrated game designers and is often called one of the fathers of the modern video game. His titles are characterised by refined control-mechanics and interactive worlds in which the players are encouraged to discover things for themselves, as well as basic storylines, which had been unheard of before he introduced the first one with Mario.

Biography

Shigeru Miyamoto was born in Sonobe town, Kyoto, Japan. As a young boy, Miyamoto loved to draw, paint pictures, and explore the landscape surrounding his home. Stories describe his fascinated discovery of hidden caves, lakes, and other natural features that would influence his later work. In 1970, he enrolled in the Kanazawa Munici College of Industrial Arts and Crafts, and graduated five years later, though he would later remark that his studies often took a backseat to doodling. In 1977, Miyamoto, armed with a degree in industrial design, scored a meeting with Hiroshi Yamauchi — a friend of his father, and the head of Nintendo of Japan. Yamauchi hired Miyamoto to be a "staff artist", and assigned him to apprentice in the planning department.

Related Topics:
Sonobe - Kyoto - Japan - 1970 - 1977 - Hiroshi Yamauchi - Nintendo

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1980, the fairly new Nintendo of America was looking for a hit to establish themselves as a player in the growing arcade market. After successful location tests using prototypes, NoA CEO Minoru Arakawa ordered a very large number of units of Radar Scope, an arcade game. However, by the time the arcade machines could be produced and shipped to the US, interest had evaporated and the game instead turned out to be a huge flop. To stay afloat and clear the costly inventory of "Radar Scope", Nintendo of America desperately needed a smash-hit game that the unsold machines could be converted to play. Hiroshi Yamauchi assigned Miyamoto — the only person available — the task of creating the game that would make or break the company.

Related Topics:
1980 - Nintendo of America - Minoru Arakawa - Radar Scope - Arcade game - Flop

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After consulting with some of the company's engineers (Miyamoto had no prior programming experience), and composing the music himself on a small electronic keyboard, Donkey Kong was born. When the game was complete, the chips containing the new program were rushed to the US and Nintendo employees worked day and night to convert the "Radar Scope" machines. It was fortuitous that Nintendo had so many units on hand, because Donkey Kong was an overnight success, and not only saved the company, but introduced the character who more than any other would be identified with Nintendo.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Out of the three characters Miyamoto created for the game — Donkey Kong, Jump Man, and Pauline — it is Mario, a character who descends from Jump Man, has found the most success, and since his debut in Donkey Kong he has appeared in more than 100 games spanning over a dozen gaming platforms. Donkey Kong has starred somewhat fewer games but has regular cameo appearances in such games as and Super Smash Bros. Pauline, sadly, has been forgotten - pushed out of the limelight by Peach.

Related Topics:
Donkey Kong - Jump Man - Mario - Super Smash Bros. - Peach

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Arguably the only other game that defined Nintendo to the same degree is Super Mario Bros. which established the NES as the leading game console of the 80s and revolutionized games by creating a new template, the 'platform' game, as well as spawning a number of sequels.

Related Topics:
Super Mario Bros. - NES

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Miyamoto is usually listed as "producer" in the credits of Mario games. The few exceptions include the Super Mario Land series for the Game Boy, which he had virtually nothing to do with. In early US releases, he was sometimes credited as Miyahon?a misreading of the kanji in his name (? - oddly, a kanji simple even for Japanese beginners).

Related Topics:
Super Mario Land - Game Boy - Kanji

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

His influence can also be seen in the hardware realm of the gaming industry. These innovations that were shepherded by Miyamoto include the introduction of the L/R shoulder buttons (with the SNES) and the popularization of the analog control stick (with the Nintendo 64). While he didn't invent these, he was instrumental in popularizing them to the point where they have become standard in every game console.

Related Topics:
SNES - Analog control stick - Nintendo 64

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Despite being an influential figure in video games and responsible for multi-million dollar franchises, Miyamoto is said to be very humble, insisting on being given an average income, and often rides a bike to work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Miyamoto was the first member ever to be inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame in 1998, an award that outlines his lifetime achievement and dramatic effect on the video game industry.

Related Topics:
AIAS Hall of Fame - 1998

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In March, 2005, Miyamoto was among the first honorees to receive a star on the Walk of Game, a section of San Francisco's Metreon Center that is modeled on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Related Topics:
2005 - Walk of Game - San Francisco - Metreon Center - Hollywood - Walk of Fame

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~